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“Don’t bully my darlings, Gale Galleon.”
The pirate yelped as he was flicked on the forehead, letting go of the Netherling between his fingers. The little thing fell right into an awaiting palm, chirping gratefully at its owner. It jumped onto the countertop then turned to Gale, blowing him a raspberry before running off to join its companions.
The pirate pouted and slumped against the counter, whining at the incubus bartender. “You’re so mean to me, Zanny!”
Zander chuckled, refilling Gale’s mug as he retorted, “You don’t get to talk with how you treated my sweet Netherlings.”
“But they’re so squishy!”
“And fragile.”
“They’re resilient!”
“Not unbreakable.”
“They’re cheeky and mischievous!”
“They’re returning your energy.”
Gale huffed, taking a swig of his drink. “You’re no fun, Zanny.”
“You already have your Pipsqueaks, Gale.” Zander mused as he helped a patron to another mug of ale. “You throw them like they’re baseballs in your pastime.”
“Yeah, and they always come flying back to me! And then pecking me with their beaks…”
Zander snorted, looking at Gale with a raised brow. “Do you expect them to not retaliate after being thrown?”
The pirate shrugged before changing the subject. “Did you miss me?”
“I always miss you, Gale.”
The pirate hummed, resting his chin on his palm. “How much?”
Zander squinted at Gale, but indulged his curiosity. “Every time a ship docks, I hope to see a familiar insignia.”
“Every time someone enters the tavern, I hope to hear a familiar voice.”
Zander leaned against the countertop, inching close to Gale’s face. The pirate did not budge, meeting the incubus’ gaze steadily. He was easily captured by the pink eyes staring him down.
“Every time the mailboy comes by, I hope to find a letter from you. That’s how much I missed you.”
Gale felt his throat drying. “For real?”
Zander just hummed, raising a hand to the pirate’s face.
Just then, the door of the tavern burst open, and in came a rowdy crowd.
“Captain! You’re here!”
Zander drew back as smoothly as he had leaned forward. Gale almost stood up from his seat to take a swing at the crewmate breaking the moment.
“I’ll see you upstairs, captain.”
Gale looked like a kicked puppy with his drooped shoulders and petulant frown. Zander planted a cheeky kiss on his crown, which visibly lifted the pirate’s mood. He waved a weak farewell as the incubus left to attend to the other patrons in the tavern.
Gale turned to his approaching crewmates, smirking as he bade, “Hey. Got any news for me?”
≪ ❈ ≫
“I’m heading upstairs. Take care of the tavern for me, Manolo.”
Gale watched as Zander, arms full of his sleepy critters, left the bar and took the stairs.
The pirate entertained his crewmate with another swig of his drink before standing up, announcing, “I need to be somewhere. Head back to the ship when you’re done. Don’t wait for me.”
His crewmates, some knocked out and some too drunk for coherency, mumbled their acknowledgement before drowning in more ale, exclaiming with cheers as they bumped shoulders.
Gale ascended the same flight of stairs the incubus took. A hallway awaited at the top with doors leading to different rooms. The pirate went straight for the door at the end of the hallway.
He knocked — once, then three consecutively, one more, then two thumps.
“Come in.”
Gale entered the room, locking the door behind him. Zander was tucking his Netherlings into their nest, plucking some playful ones that were hanging off his clothes. There were a few stray ones scampering across the wooden floor, running away from their owner.
One Netherling waddled to Gale and clung to his boot. It glowed a peculiar teal, singular wing made of feathers instead of leather, and was missing a horn.
The pirate squatted, picking up the little thing. It was docile, observing the human with a curious head tilt.
Gale held the Netherling in his palm and smoothed a finger across its pate. The critter purred, following the direction of the stroke and ending up on its back. The pirate chuckled, watching the teal creature sitting up again.
“I caught you, my darlings~”
Gale turned to the voice, watching as Zander cradled some struggling Netherlings. The little critters chirped their dissatisfaction, as if demanding to be let down.
The incubus must have thought the same, because he shook his head firmly. “Nope. You are going to bed and that’s final.”
Gale looked at the teal Netherling in his palm, who also turned to him. It chirped but remained still in his hand. The pirate smiled before approaching the incubus.
Despite their earlier protest, the little critters still let Zander tuck them into their nest. They cuddled up against each other, forming small piles. Even the active ones hugged their brothers and sisters, settling down to not wake those that fell asleep.
Gale stood beside Zander. He looked at the teal Netherling in his palm. The little one yawned, prompting a smile to grace the pirate’s lips.
“Goodnight, little one.”
He reached into the nest and gently placed the Netherling down. It quickly joined the rest, slotting itself in the bunch. It was knocked out in no time, snoozing with its fellows.
When Gale turned to Zander, he was watching the Netherlings fondly. The scene reminded the pirate of a parent observing their children.
“The kids are asleep now.”
“As it seems.”
Zander looked at Gale. Rose pink met sea green.
“I should probably head to bed soon too.”
Gale nodded. “Yeah…”
The smart reply got a chuckle out of Zander. He grabbed the pirate’s wrist, then dragged him to his bed. Gale stumbled from the sudden force, quickly regaining his footing and following closely behind.
As they reached the bed, Zander let momentum pull him down onto the mattress. With his hand still holding Gale’s wrist, he pulled the pirate alongside him. The brunette let out a surprised noise as he fell on top of the incubus, trapping the latter with his weight.
Gale tried to move away. Zander swiftly slipped his arms around the pirate, hugging him tightly. The brunette stayed still, looking at the incubus with a raised brow.
“What’s the hurry? Stay for a bit.”
Gale huffed, bracing an arm on the mattress to lift some weight off of the incubus. “If we cuddle like this, you’ll have the air squashed out of you.”
Zander hummed absentmindedly, already sounding groggy. “It’s fine. I want to feel you on top of me. Your weight makes me feel safe.”
Gale froze, looking down at the incubus. With a disbelieved chuckle, he finally relaxed on top of the blonde. A relieved sigh left the incubus, practically melting under the comforting mass.
“How long will you be in town?”
Gale hummed. “A week. We aren’t in a rush to go anywhere.”
“Is that so?” Zander mused sleepily, nuzzling against the pirate’s neck. “That’s good then. We have all the time in the world.”
Gale smiled, wrapping his arms around the incubus’ waist. Zander purred, tightening his hold around the pirate.
“Yes, we have all the time in the world together.”